


What's A Little Nip Between Friends?

by Caro Dee (Caro_Dee)



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Car Chase, Cliche, Drunken Confession, Humor, M/M, Sentinel Senses, Stakeout, UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-03
Updated: 2011-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-17 13:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/177152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caro_Dee/pseuds/Caro%20Dee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when you give a sentinel cold medicine? Apparently he makes drunken passes at the guide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What's A Little Nip Between Friends?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pam H](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Pam+H).



> This was written for Pam H's (Senbeta list) birthday in 2004. Among her list of wants was Drunken!Jim, Take Charge!Blair, and witty dialog. She also listed Sensitive/Intelligent!Jim but got Adoring/Maudlin!Jim instead. Such is life; if the size is right, the color's wrong. *g* This was betaed by T.W. and Bluewolf.

Jim sat there staring at the house. It was an ordinary house with a whole lot of nothing going on. The suspect, Dan Burke, was drinking beer and channel-surfing while Jim was sitting out here in the cold, bored out of his skull. "Talk to me, Sandburg."

"All talked out an hour ago, Jim," Blair said unsympathetically, burying his nose deeper in his anthropology journal.

Blair got to read. Being the cop just wasn't fair. Jim sneezed again and blew his nose heavily. "Damn," he sniffled. "I think I'm coming down with a cold."

"Oh yeah? Wait a second. I've got something that'll fix you right up." Blair leaned down and dug through his backpack. With an air of triumph, he pulled out a small brown bottle and shook it vigorously. "My friend Elena makes these great herbal tinctures. Works every time."

"What's it for?" Jim asked, sniffing suspiciously at the eyedropper that Blair was holding in front of his mouth.

Blair rolled his eyes. "You're honking your brains out through your nose; it's good for cold and flu symptoms. Just shut up and take it already."

Jim frowned fiercely but opened up obediently to allow Blair to squeeze the contents into his mouth. "This better work," he mumbled around a mouthful of fluid.

"Yeah, yeah... shut up, Jim," Blair said cheerfully and went back to reading.

What a weird taste, Jim thought with a grimace as he smacked his lips. A huge slug of cola left over from the Wonderburger lunch -- he could still hear Blair's whining about it -- rinsed away the distracting taste in his mouth. He leaned back and focused again on the suspect's house. Boring.

* * *

If Jim didn't stop drumming on the steering wheel, Blair was going to kill him. "Jim?"

"Yeah, Chief?" Jim asked, in a quietly dreamy tone.

"Do you think you could stop making such a racket? Please?" Blair asked politely. Okay, so it was an exaggeratedly polite manner fully deserving a retaliatory noogie, but at least it wasn't rapping Jim over the knuckles with a rolled-up journal.

"What racket?' asked Jim.

"The banging, Jim. Could you stop with the banging?"

Jim turned and actually pouted. "I'm not banging. I'm making music. Listen... " He pounded out something that might have been rhythmical in his own mind. "Light My Fire," he announced triumphantly. "...by The Doors."

Blair stared at him. "Uh, okay..." Jim looked back expectantly. "Definitely The Doors. Jim, are you feeling all right?"

"Oh yeahhhh," Jim drawled. "I'm feeling fine. I'm feeling peachy." Jim narrowed his eyes, seemingly searching for just the right phrase. "I'm feeling... gooood."

Blair's keenly-honed sense of sentinel disaster stood up and took notice. Jim was smiling and flushed and his eyes weren't quite tracking. Aw shit. He made a note to purchase herbal tinctures made with vegetable glycerin rather than alcohol in the future. Jim was drunk. Something in that particular herbal mixture must intensify the alcoholic effect in sentinels.

Blair grabbed his cellphone and dialed Simon. When he answered, Blair blurted out, "Simon? We've got a problem. You need to get a replacement team out here pronto."

"What happened, Sandburg?"

"Jim had a reaction to an herbal remedy I gave him and he's not capable of doing the job at the moment."

Silence for a moment. "Are you telling me Jim is high?"

"No," Blair reassured him. "I'm telling you Jim is drunk."

"Drunk!"

"Yup. Sloshed, smashed, soused, blotto, feeling no pain. He's just as likely to _sing_ at the suspect as arrest him."

"Jesus, Blair." Simon's voice was tired. "Okay, okay. I'll get someone over there right away. Can you hold on for twenty minutes?"

Blair slid his eyes over to where Jim was stroking his own cheek and giggling at the sensation of stubble. "Sure, Simon, so long as it's a quick twenty. Okay?"

Simon just hung up and Blair put the phone away and turned towards Jim.

Jim sat there, smirking at him. "You looking to make a quick twenty, Chief?"

Blair gaped at Jim a moment and then burst out laughing. "Man, I cannot believe you just said that. Oh, that's fucking funny."

Jim frowned. "No... that would cost more than twenty. Plenty of people would pay more to fuck you. I know; I hear them say so."

Curiosity overcame Blair's need to chortle. "Oh yeah, who?"

"I'm not telling," Jim said sullenly. "Find your own customers."

"Jim! I'm not selling anything."

"Yeah?" Jim smiled a little shyly. "That's good, Blair. Because you deserve more than that. You deserve to be loved. Best damn human being I know."

Blair's heart thumped. Jim rarely complimented him and when he did, Blair treasured it. "Aw, Jim..."

Jim continued blissfully on. "Not that you couldn't sell it. I'm definitely not saying that, Chief. You'd be in demand. I'd pay more than twenty. I'd pay fifty, hundred, _two hundred_ dollars for you." He leaned forward, blinking earnestly into Blair's eyes. "Really."

Okay... maybe not 'treasured' exactly. "Thanks, Jim. That's quite a compliment." Blair patted Jim's shoulder soothingly and fended off a grope at his crotch. Simon better get someone here quick, 'cause this was going to be a loooong twenty minutes.

* * *

 _ring... ring... ring... ring..._

"Somebody pick up the phone," Jim muttered.

"The phone's not ringing," Blair said from above him.

"Okay," Jim agreed and snuggled back into Blair's lap. This was nice.

 _"Dan, get your ass down here. We've got trouble."_

 _"Shit. Okay, yeah. Be there in ten."_

He could hear Blair's guts gurgling. That struck him as really funny and he started giggling. Gurgling guts. Then he realized this was _Blair's_ guts and that was so gosh-darned cute.

"Damn, damn, damn. Jim, get up!" Blair was shoving and poking at him. Jim protested blearily but managed to sit up. Then Blair was out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind him.

Jim had just enough time to register that as lonely and awful, when Blair was back on his side of the truck, shoving at him hard. "Blair!" Jim exclaimed joyfully.

"Over, over. Move it over, Jim. Now!"

It took a couple of seconds to register that Blair wanted to drive the truck. In the back of his mind, Jim remembered that that wasn't a good idea, but this was Blair. If Blair wanted to drive Jim's truck, who was Jim to say no? He slid over. "We going for a ride?"

"Yeah, we're going for a ride. Do me a favor?"

"Sure, Blair." Anything.

"Just sit there and be quiet. And stop doing that!"

Jim sulked as his hand was batted away. He just wanted to touch Blair's hair, that's all. But Blair didn't want him to. Jim felt really sad. He curled up against the window and gazed longingly as Blair started the engine with one hand and dialed his phone with the other. He'd just sit here all alone in his corner. Without Blair.

"Simon? The suspect is on the move. It looks like he's headed north towards the highway. I'll follow until the other team can pace us."

"Don't lose him, Sandburg. And, for God's sake, don't let him see you."

"Don't worry, Simon. I've watched Jim do this a hundred times. Just tell the other team to get here."

"Why am I not feeling reassured? Keep me posted."

Simon sounded upset, Jim thought. Was Blair upset too? "You mad at me, Chief?"

Blair's quick grin was like sunshine and Jim basked in it. "Mad at you? No way. Just need to concentrate on something here."

"Okay," Jim said, relieved. Then he noticed the car in front of them. "Hey, that's Burke. Are we chasing him? We should go faster. We're not going to catch him like this. Lemme show you."

As Jim made a grab for the steering wheel, Blair shouted, "No! Back off!"

Confused and startled, Jim's face crumpled and he hunched his shoulders, pulling away.

Blair sighed and said, "Sorry for yelling, man. But that was really dangerous. And if we lose the suspect, we're in so much deep shit." Jim refused to look at him. "Aw man, come on. Don't be like that." Jim sniffed and stared out the window. "Hey Jim." Jim glanced over. Blair was patting his leg. "Why don't you lie down again and take a nap, buddy?"

Faced with the temptation of the lap, Jim didn't want to be angry anymore and crawled over, laying his head down and sighing. "Don't be mad at me, Chief. I was just trying to help."

Blair's hand came down to rub his shoulder. It felt really nice. "I know. You just go to sleep now, okay?"

"Okay." Jim lay there, enjoying Blair's touch. The rumble of the engine was making him sleepy. He dozed lightly and listened to the sound of Blair talking on the phone.

"Hey, Elena. How are you? Listen, that herbal stuff I bought from you... Yeah, the cold mixture. What's in it? Uh huh... Uh huh... Really? Cool... Wait! What was that last one? ...You're kidding me. Good ol' _Nepeta cataria_. How does it affect humans? ...relaxation, good mood, lessening of inhibitions. I see. So basically, the same as cats. ...ah, of course, not in that small a dosage. No, that's all. I was just curious. Talk to you later, Elena."

Blair's stomach jiggling the back of Jim's head woke him up. Then Blair laughed out loud and Jim smiled. Happy Blair was a good thing, so he endured the jiggling and snuggled deeper into Blair's lap, sneaking one hand up the nearest thigh. When the laughter finally died down, Blair stroked Jim's head gently and muttered, "Bad ol' puddy tat", and then he laughed some more. Jim drifted pleasantly on the sound.

Then Blair was shaking him. "C'mon, Jim. Time to wake up and go to bed."

Jim frowned and clutched Blair's leg tighter. The warm cradle of engine vibrations was gone and, reluctantly, he opened his eyes and looked up into Blair's smiling, upside-down face.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Blair said cheerfully. "We're home. Can you get up for me?"

Home? Jim managed to push up into a semi-upright position and peer around. Oh yeah, they were home. He started to lie back down again, but Blair grabbed him and shoved him over against the window. Then Blair got out and ran around to Jim's door.

"Careful now. Don't want you falling out of the truck."

Jim looked at Blair waiting for him and sort of _leaned_ towards him, knowing Blair would catch him.

"Whoa! Whoa! Watch it, man. You're no lightweight." Blair's hands were gentle but strong as he pulled Jim upright and held him close. Jim hummed happily and hugged Blair back. "Can you take a step for me? That's it. Another one?"

Jim's legs didn't want to work. That was pretty funny and he told Blair so.

"Oh yeah, it's a laugh a minute. Hope you think so tomorrow. Okay, we have a door. I'm just going to grab it... Okay, thanks for helping there, Jim. I've got it. How about you push the elevator button?"

It took a couple of tries but Jim finally found the button that worked and pressed it. "I did it!" he announced triumphantly.

Blair was smiling at him. Blair had a great smile. Jim loved Blair's smile. Now Blair was chuckling, "Man, I wish I had a camera right now. Jim, you have got the goofiest grin I've ever seen plastered all over your face."

The elevator door opened and they got in. When the elevator started, Jim staggered a bit and ending up pushing Blair against the wall. Blair was laughing and his eyes were shining and he was beautiful. He was really beautiful. Jim's arms tightened and he contentedly nuzzled his face against Blair's, ignoring the sputtering protests. Blair's neck was right there and smelled so warm and good. He bit gently and tongued the skin.

"Jesus, you bit me!" Blair squawked.

"No, I didn't," Jim said, and did it again.

Then the elevator doors opened and Blair was pulling him down the hallway. He got propped up against the wall while Blair unlocked the door. Jim flowed happily back into Blair's embrace and let himself be half-dragged, half-carried up to his bedroom. Things were looking up.

Then he fell onto the bed and lay there laughing while Blair pulled off his clothes and Jim flailed around trying to pull Blair back into hug range. Blair laughed and shook his head and ducked out of reach. Wrestling with Blair. This was fun, but there was something... something else he wanted.

"Man, you need to sleep this off. I've already got blackmail material for the next six months," Blair said, as he pulled the covers up over Jim and tucked him in. He turned away.

"Don't go," Jim said sadly. "Don't leave me. Lonely."

Blair came back and smiled down at Jim. "I'll be right downstairs. If you need me, I can be back up here in two seconds flat. You go to sleep now. That's an order."

Jim sighed and nodded obediently. Blair leaned down and kissed him gently on the forehead. Jim looked blearily up into those warm, affectionate eyes and his heart clenched. "Love you, Blair," he whispered.

"That's nice, Jim. Go to sleep now." Blair's hand smoothed over Jim's hair and returned to cup his cheek.

"Uh-huh," Jim said happily, then rolled over and threw up on Blair's boots.

* * *

Blair was clattering around the kitchen pulling stuff out of the fridge for breakfast, when a loud groan came from the upstairs bedroom. "Want some coffee, Jim?" he called up quietly.

There was another groan and a thump, then heavy, clumsy footsteps as Jim emerged and staggered to the bathroom. Blair smiled and poured two cups of coffee.

Ten minutes later, Jim was back in the kitchen, freshly showered and looking almost back to normal, except for the bloodshot eyes. He accepted the cup of coffee without quite meeting Blair's gaze.

"Sleep well?" Blair asked, taking a sip of his own coffee.

Jim's face twitched.

"I've got a very cool remedy for hangovers. Do you want me to get it?"

"No!" Jim said urgently. "No more of this herbal shit, Chief. Ever."

"Okay."

They were silent for a moment while Jim stared into his coffee cup. Then he looked up and said, "Sorry about your boots."

"Not really your fault. Don't worry about it."

"I... uh, I think I stepped over the line last night. I hope you're not too pissed."

"Jim." Blair waited until Jim reluctantly met his eyes and smiled gently. "We're cool."

"Yeah?" The corner of Jim's mouth quirked. "Still partners and... friends?"

"Absolutely." Then Blair took pity on Jim and turned away. "How do you want your eggs?"

As he was pouring the scrambled eggs into the frying pan, Jim asked, "What happened yesterday? I mean, with the suspect?"

"They caught Burke and Ashton. Burke led them straight to the warehouse with the stolen weapons and Ashton's gun turned out to be the one that killed Romero, just like you thought."

"Damn. Is Simon pissed?"

"When isn't he? But I told him it was a chemical sensitivity we didn't know about. I think he's more pissed at me than you though. He seems to feel I should have prevented it. So your ass is covered with Simon."

There was silence for a minute, then Jim said quietly, "Thanks, Sandburg."

"No problem, Jim. These look done enough to you?"

The mundane tasks of preparing and eating breakfast seemed to settle Jim. His posture relaxed and his voice lost the apprehensive, defensive edge to it. Before long, he was planning out his day and inviting Blair along to run errands.

Blair really did have other things he needed to be doing but spending a couple of hours reassuring Jim was more important. He threw in a few places he needed to stop at and their morning was scheduled.

Jim might be eager to pretend yesterday never happened, but Blair wasn't going to forget so easily. Yesterday's revelation had been a complete surprise to him. He hadn't had a clue that Jim had feelings for him beyond friendship. It was pretty obvious that Jim wasn't exactly comfortable with it either.

The situation called for some objective analysis, some fact-gathering and field research, some strategic planning. Blair certainly had to figure out what he wanted from Jim before he decided on his course of action.

But Jim was his if Blair wanted him. He might need a little persuasion, but that was a mere technicality. Blair smiled fondly as he listened to Jim rattle the newspaper and complain bitterly about the Jag's loss last night. The future had definite possibilities.


End file.
